Looks Aren’t Everything
by HugThePineapple
Summary: After being succesfully turned over to the dark side, Neil discovers talents even he didn't know he had. Rated 'T' just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Looks Aren't Everything- Chapter One**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Class of the Titans, unfortunately. (Sobs)**

**Anyway, this is my third Class of the Titans fanfic so far. Yay! I hope you guys like this one, and, if you do, please feel free to review. Opinions are always welcomed! Anyway, I get the feeling that I'm just about boring you to death with pointless notes, so, on with the story. **

It was an abnormal night in the lives seven teenagers as they lounged around the brownstone, feeling completely and totally relaxed. For once in the hero's lives, they were not being chased by monsters, or in mortal peril, or trying to stop another one of Cronus's evil plots. For once, the seven heroes were allowed to just kick back and relax.

Finally.

Though, only one person was taking full advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Neil lay sprawled across the living room sofa, smiling slightly as he skimmed through multiple magazines. (Most of which featured him on the cover.) The descendant of Narcissus moved only to check out his reflection in the small golden pocket mirror that he carried with him everywhere, or to take a sip of the glass of water beside him. (Pure spring water, mind you. None of the bottled stuff for him.)

"Is he even breathing?" Neil jerked up slightly, looking across the room to where five of his six companions lay hunched around a sleeping Herry.

"Do you guys have to do that?" Neil asked, running a hand through his bleach blond hair. "You're totally disturbing my rest. _Some _of us are trying to relax."

"What's your problem? We were only talking." Atlanta said, glaring at her smug teammate.

"Yeah." Neil replied, turning the page of his magazine. "Talking _loudly_."

"Whatever." Atlanta glared at Neil for another moment before turning back to Herry. "Should we wake him up?"

"Nah, he deserves a rest after that fight with the giants today." Theresa said, looking around at her teammates, all of whom were nodding. (Aside from Herry and Neil, of course.) Theresa was referring to the incident that had occurred earlier as the teens were taking a stroll around the park, when two of Cronus's 'minions' (For lack of a better word) Had met and promptly ambushed them. Archie rubbed the back of his head and yawned.

"Well, if he deserves a rest, so do we. I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat!" With this, Archie glanced pointedly at Atlanta, who blushed slightly, rubbing her arm. Atlanta had been forced to take on one of the giants on her own, and had left Central Park with more then just a scratch.

"Yeah, I'm tired too." Atlanta stood up, rubbing her eyes and walking towards the door. She stopped just before she left the room, turning around.

"I agree with Archie. We all deserve a rest. Well, _almost _all of us."

Neil looked up once again as he felt five pairs of eyes come to rest upon him. He sighed as he saw the accusing glares of his friends, closing his magazine.

"Aw, come on you guys. I helped, too!" This remark was met by more then one fit of laughter as his statement began to sink into his teammate's minds.

"Sorry, Neil." Jay chuckled. "But I really wouldn't classify running and hiding while checking for acne in your mirror as helping."

"I was not checking for acne! I was, erm…trying to…scare the giants away with light from my mirror."

"About that, Neil…it's ogre's that hate light, not giants."

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Actually, yeah, we can." Odie snickered, recalling many incidents where Neil's rash actions had nearly gotten them all killed. "Good night, Neil."

Odie got up and left, followed shortly by Archie and Atlanta as the pair headed towards their respective dormitories. Theresa and Jay bade each other goodnight and walked out, leaving only Neil and Herry behind.

"I guess it's just you and me, buddy." Neil sighed. This remark was met by a loud snore from Herry as the larger boy rolled off of his armchair and onto the floor. Neil stood up, walking towards his dorm.

"Never mind. I guess that a sleeping strong man doesn't make for the best conversation, huh?" Herry snored again, as Neil finally left the room. "Apparently I was right." The blond paused as images of his friends laughing at him flashed across his mind. "At least I was right about something, for once."

**Aw, poor Neil. XD**

**Anyway, please feel free to review, as I mentioned before. I'll do my best to reply. Oh- by the way, if you have any suggestions for upcoming chapters, please let me know. Thanks!**

**HugThePineapple**


	2. Chapter 2

"Neil? Atlanta and I were going to go skateboarding, and we thought you might want to come…assuming that you aren't to busy giving yourself a manicure." Archie smiled at his little joke as he knocked on his teammate's door. There was a brief pause, and then;

"Go away."

"Neil?" Archie tried to open the large, wooden door in front of him, only to find that it was locked. "Darn it…Neil? Open up, already!"

"I said go away!" Archie tried to open the door one last time, but, once again, his attempts were futile.

"Neil? You need to come out sooner or later!"

"I choose later, but thanks anyways." Neil responded, sarcastically. "Seriously. _Go away_."

'What's his problem?" Archie wondered aloud as he walked back to his own dorm, just in time to meet Atlanta as she arrived at his doorway.

"Hey!" The redhead smiled. "I asked the others if they wanted to come, already. Jay might come, Theresa and Herry are coming, Odie isn't, and Neil wouldn't even open his door."

"Tell me about it." Archie leaned down, picking up his skateboard as he did so. "Are you ready?" Atlanta smiled in reply.

"I am. I think I'll go wait for Theresa."

"Sounds cool. I'll double check to make sure that Jay is coming, and then meet you guys outside?"

"Got it. By the way, good luck keeping up with me once we've started." Archie laughed.

"You'll be eating my dust before you've made it across the street."

ooooOooooooooOooooooooOooooooooO

"Not helping my foot! I was born to help. All I do is help! I- oh, crud. Is that a zit?"

Neil stopped mid stride, mirror in hand. He quickly held the small golden object up to his face to inspect the possibility of an unsightly blemish. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, Neil pocketed the mirror and continued to pace around his room.

"Where was I? Oh, yes! I-" But Neil's train of thought was interrupted as an urgent distress call came through over his PMR. The teen was surprised to discover that the sender was none other then…

"Hermes? What are you doing on my PMR?' The messenger god ignored this statement, preferring instead to cut right to the chase.

"Cronus is in Central Park as we speak! Alert the others, we need the entire team on this case, stat!"

"Okay, okay, chill dude. No need to get your toga all up in a knot…I'm on it." Neil quickly punched a few buttons on his PMR, before holding it up to his mouth.

"Jay? It's Neil. We've got an urgent situation on our hands. Cronus is…Hello? Hello? Anyone there?" But the PMR only crackled with static. Neil tried alerting the others, each in turn. But even Odie had left the brownstone to meet with his fellow Techno-Greeks. For each team member, there was no answer.

Neil could only assume the worst.

_The Docks_

"Aw, Archie. Why did you have to get them wet?"

"Well, it's not like I was trying to skate off the docks. This board has a mind of its own!"

Jay shook off his own PMR, which was, along with everyone else's, dripping wet.

"Well, they're basically useless for now. We'd better head back and ask Heph to fix them up."

"I told you not to let Archie hold them. I told you I should have taken them, instead." Herry clapped Archie on the back, trying in vain to work his own PMR.

"Give Archie a break, OK? It could have happened to anyone. Even you, Herry."

Archie smiled.

"Thanks, Atlanta."

"Whatever. But like Jay said, we'd better head back." Atlanta turned to look at the others briefly before skating off. Her teammates took off behind her, but all five teens were cut short when a blond haired boy who looked suspiciously like Neil ran across the road not ten meters in front of them. The Neil-like figure lept up, screaming and closing his eyes.

"Look out, Cronus! Here I come!"

Herry shook his head in disbelief.

"Did he say…_Cronus?_"

Theresa sighed, tossing her PMR to Jay.

"I think he did. You guys head back, I'll go make sure that Neil doesn't get himself killed." Jay frowned.

"But if Cronus _is_, erm…wherever Neil is going, we should all be there."

"But if we all go, and get caught, we're all in great danger unless Odie can somehow find us without being able to track us."

"Why can't Odie track us?" Everyone stared at Archie, the speaker, holding up their soggy PMRs. Archie smiled sheepishly.

"Right."

"So we're all agreed that I'm going? Great! See you around!" With that, Theresa took off, leaving for very confused teenagers. The teens stood still for a couple of minutes, and then Jay spoke.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going after Theresa and Neil."

"Good call." Atlanta kicked off and began flying down the road at a high pace. "I'll be right behind them in no time!"

'Not if I get there first!" Archie kicked off as well, picking up the pace until he was only a couple of feet behind Atlanta. Herry sighed.

"Why me?" The brunette finally joined his companions, yelling over the sound of the wind. "Don't you think we should trust Theresa in this?" Jay turned to his companion, picking up his pace.

"No time! If Theresa gets caught, we won't be able to track her, either. Our best hope is to move!"


	3. Chapter 3

The park was quiet. Too quiet.

"H-Hello?" Neil shook his head, as if the simple gesture would suddenly shake the ominous feeling from the air. "Is anyone there? Jay? Theresa? Archie? Cronus?" The blond tried nearly every name that he could think of, to no avail. A rustle of leaves in the bush behind the teen caught his attention, and he spun around to see what the noise was. Nothing. Neil let out a sigh.

"Oh, who was I kidding? Did I really think I could take on Cronus on my own?" Neil sank down on to a nearby bench, but he immediately shrieked and lept up once again. "Stupid spider."

"Neil? Neil, are you here?" Neil perked up at the sound of Jay's voice. The others were calling, too. He could hear it, now!

"Guys! Guys, I'm over here!" The blond paused. No answer. Where was here, anyway? Neil had wandered so far off the path that he didn't even know where he was, anymore. But surely if he could hear his teammates, they could hear him. Couldn't they?

"Jay! Theresa! Everyone! I'm over here!" Neil yelled, so loud that his throat hurt. No response. "Okay…that's creepy…I'll just wait here until- whoa!"

"Neil? Neil, get out here NOW!"

Atlanta screamed out the last syllable as she lowered herself to the ground, clutching her ribs in pain.

"'Lanta, he's not here." Atlanta looked up, her eyes meeting Archie's as he pulled her to her feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…too much running, I guess…"

"'Lanta, we've hardly done any running today, are you sure that you're alright?"

"Gods, Archie, I'm FINE!" The purple-haired warrior pulled away in surprise, before opening his mouth to reply. Atlanta saw this, however, and clamped her hand firmly over her companion's mouth.

"Don't even…" She began, her eyes losing focus. "Go there." Her pupils rolled towards the back of her head and she collapsed. Archie was just quick enough to catch her.

"ATLANTA!"

The park was gone. Neil clutched the golden mirror in his pocket as he sped through a seemingly endless vortex deep beneath the earth. Head spinning, he ran his hand gently over his face, as if checking to make sure that his nose hadn't slid to one side without him noticing. Suddenly, a lone thought occurred to him.

_I'm falling._

Neil felt the urge to scream in fear boiling up inside him…so why wouldn't it come out?

That's when he hit the ground.

A/N: Okay, I know that you guys deserve a twenty page long chapter after all of that rating, but just bear with me here. I promised a friend that I'd upload it today, and this is all that I could come up with…so the next chapter should be up shortly, and it will be way longer and way better written then this one.

Anyway, please review. Me likey reviews.

Until the next chapter, then!

HugThePinapple


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